The Importance of Being Earnest extends by 17 weeks

The Roundabout Theatre Company's new Broadway production of Oscar Wilde's comedy The Importance of Being Earnest, directed by and starring Brian Bedford as 'Lady Bracknell,' as extended its run by 17 weeks, and will now play at the American Airlines Theatre through to 3 Jul 2011.

The comedy opened at the American Airline Theatre on 13 Jan 2011, following previews from 17 Dec 2010, for a limited engagement that was originally scheduled to end on 6 Mar 2011.

The new musical The People in the Picture which was scheduled to open at the American Airlines Theatre on 28 Apr 2011, will now open at Roundabout's Studio 54.

The Importance of Being Earnest: Dashing men-about-town John Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff pursue fair ladies Gwendolen Fairfax and Cecily Cardew. Matters are complicated by the imaginary characters invented by both men to cover their on-the-sly activities - not to mention the disapproval of Gwendolen's mother, the formidable Lady Bracknell.

The Importance of Being Earnest opened to mostly excellent reviews: Delightfully naughty (NY Post); Funniest and sharpest production I've ever seen (Back Stage); As super as it gets on Broadway (NY1); Comedy at its most sublime (Hollywood Reporter).

Starring alongside Brian Bedford (Lady Bracknell) are Dana Ivey (Miss Prism), Paxton Whitehead (Reverend Chausible), Santino Fontana (Algernon Moncrieff), David Furr (Jack Worthing), Tim MacDonald (Merriman), Paul O'Brien as (Lane), Charlotte Parry as (Cecily Cardew) and Sara Topham as (Gwendolyn).

The design team includes Desmond Heeley (Sets & Costumes), Duane Schuler (Lights) and Drew Levy (Sound).

The Stratford Shakespeare Festival presented an acclaimed production of The Importance of Being Earnest, directed by and starring Brian Bedford, in 2009. Following the extended run of The Importance of Being Earnest at Roundabout, Brian Bedford and Sara Topham will return to Stratford to appear in 'The Misanthrope' which runs from 31 Jul to 29 Oct 2011.